Independent Educational Evaluations

What is an IEE?

Has your child been evaluated through your current school district? Was your child found not eligible for special education services, and you disagreed with those results? Or is your child on an IEP, but he or she is not making the progress you would expect, receiving failing grades, or receiving continued behavioral referrals or suspensions? If you find yourself answering yes to the questions above, you may be eligible for an IEE that is paid for by your child’s school district.

An IEE is a private evaluation that provides a parent or guardian the opportunity to obtain their own evaluation of their child when they disagree with the school district’s results/recommended educational program. This is a right of all parents or guardians whose child has been tested through the schools and provided in IDEA (special education law).

How do I request an IEE?

If you would like to request an IEE, write a letter to your special education director indicating that you disagree with your child’s testing results and are requesting an IEE at public expense. If the school district denies a parent an IEE, then the district must initiate due process with the parent to defend why the school’s evaluation was appropriate.

Who can complete the IEE?

If the IEE is approved by the school district, the school district will provide you with a list of qualified professionals in the area who complete IEEs. You do not have to choose someone from this list, you may choose any qualified professional. Due to my specialty training in school psychology and my national credentialing in school psychology, I am a qualified professional who can complete an IEE.

What testing is included in an IEE?

At Prism, IEEs can include some or all of the following components depending on your concerns and the school's concerns:

A diagnostic interview with the parent or caregiver that includes developmental history and current concerns

Social/behavioral testing using the ADOS-2, a play and interview-based assessment

Social, emotional, and behavioral questionnaires completed by parents and caregivers

Social, emotional, and behavioral questionnaires completed by teachers and other service providers

Interviews with teachers and other service providers

School observation

A comprehensive written report with results; summary; DSM-V or medical diagnoses; recommendations for eligibility for school services (IEP or 504 eligibility); recommendations to aid the IEP team in developing a plan

Attendance at an IEP meeting to review the results and recommendations